


Heroes

by butterflyslinky



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Spoilers, Gen, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-25
Updated: 2016-05-25
Packaged: 2018-06-10 13:43:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6958996
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/butterflyslinky/pseuds/butterflyslinky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Heroes aren't everything they're cracked up to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Heroes

You meet Tony Stark first. Tony Stark, just sitting on the living room couch, eating Aunt May’s walnut-date bread like it’s the most normal thing in the world, like Tony Stark hangs out in shitty apartments in Queens all the time just for fun.

Aunt May doesn’t suspect a thing, but you know. You know why Stark is here. You know that, somehow, he knows. Why else would he show up? You never applied for a grant. You don’t have anything worth funding. There’s only one other reason Tony Stark would be here.

And you’re right. You don’t know how he got the footage, but it’s not really surprising. Tony Stark probably has access to every CCTV camera in New York, maybe even the whole world. You don’t know how he managed to figure out it was you. Probably some sort of computer that matches movement patterns. Spider-Man has walked a few times; Tony Stark could probably analyze that and conclude you walk the same way.

And you know before he even asks that you’re going to do whatever he wants. You can babble about homework and Aunt May all you like, but Tony Stark came personally to ask for your help. And you can’t say no to him.

Secretly, you want to go to Germany. You want to fight bad guys. You want to help the Avengers, even if they’re fighting each other. You know about the Accords, but since no one knows who you are, they don’t affect you. And if they do, Tony Stark will vouch for you now.

He asks why you do what you do. He asks why you’re Spider-Man.

It’s all you can do to avoid saying it. It would just sound condescending for you to say that to Tony Stark. He doesn’t need to be told “With great power comes great responsibility.” He already knows that.

You can’t be condescending toward Tony Stark. That would just be mortifying.

He makes excuses to Aunt May, telling her that he’s taking you up to the Tower for a little while so you can show him more about your imaginary project. She asks if you want her to come and you decline, saying it would be really boring and technical and didn’t she volunteer for the PTA bake sale tomorrow?

With that out of the way, Tony Stark takes you to the Avengers Complex. It’s vast and amazing and expensive and you don’t think you’ll ever fit in.

*

Natasha Romanov is even more beautiful and terrifying than she seems on TV.

When Tony takes you to the Tower to make plans, she’s there, with the King of Wakanda at one side and Colonel Rhodes at the other. She raises her eyebrows when she sees you and you know what she’s thinking. _Really, Stark? You’re bringing a goddamned kid into this?_

But she doesn’t say that, to your relief. You’re already embarrassed and a bit antsy. You don’t need Natasha Romanov to remind you you’re young.

She does give Tony Stark a look indicating her displeasure. Tony Stark assures her that you’re going to stay out of the way. You won’t be doing much of the heavy hitting. You’re going to be high up, swinging around and webbing up Cap’s people. You won’t be in any danger.

Natasha Romanov shakes her head, like she doesn’t believe him. And you know that every fight has danger, that no matter how high up you stay you could still get hurt. But you don’t care. You can take a lot of pain before it’s too much. You’re strong.

You’re going to prove yourself to them. To Mr. Stark, to Natasha Romanov, even to King T’Challa and Colonel Rhodes who are both looking at you with pity and giving Tony a look that indicate they don’t think he’s very responsible at all.

Natasha Romanov finds you later, just before you’re set to leave for Germany. She asks you to spar with her, just so she can see how good you are.

She beats you, but not easily, and you feel a little swell of pride that you’re a match for one of the world’s scariest assassins. She nods in approval, but her eyes are still fearful. She tells you to be careful. She tells you that Captain America isn’t easy to fight and his friends will be even harder.

She asks if she can sit next to you in the Quinjet. You want to say no, that you should be next to Mr. Stark, but then you realize that Colonel Rhodes will be with Mr. Stark and King T’Challa would never want to sit next to someone like you and Vision kind of scares you, so you say yes.

You don’t talk much on the journey, because you need to conserve your energy, but Natasha Romanov just smiles and you feel safe.

*

Captain America is everything and nothing like you expected.

He’s big, yes. He’s strong, of course. His blue eyes pierce you with a Very Disappointed Look, even through the helmet. He looks at Tony Stark with pain and sorrow and it almost breaks your heart to pull his shield away.

But you do, because Mr. Stark expects it of you. He’s counting on you to help.

When the fight starts, you try to stay in the air. You mean to do it, you want to impress Mr. Stark and show him that he can count on you.

But it’s so hard to just stay above it all when everyone is running and punching and when the teams come together, you leap right in, fighting with anyone who crosses your path. You’re strong. You can take it.

And then you’re facing Captain America personally and you’re trying to stay out of the way, because he could squish you. You manage to take him down, but he just gets right back up.

He asks what Mr. Stark told you, and you tell him. _You’re wrong, but you think you’re right._

And isn’t that weird, telling Captain America that he’s wrong? You’ve grown up with stories of Captain America. He’s a local boy. The schools rave about him. Mr. Perfect, saved the world, all-American and the best thing ever.

And yet…well, it’s odd. He doesn’t seem perfect. He’s perfectly willing to hit you, though he probably can’t tell how old you are under the mask. If he knew, he’d probably refuse to fight you.

He asks where you’re from and you’re startled that Captain America wants to know about you. And you tell him, with a sort of pride that says you’ll fight anyone who looks down on your home.

“Brooklyn,” he says.

And you knew that already, you always knew he was a New York boy. The history books say he was a scrappy kid from Brooklyn who never walked away from a fight. Before, you’ve always admired him. As a kid, you always thought that Steve Rogers was just like you, that you could have been best friends.

Now, though…now, you can never be friends. Because you’re with Mr. Stark, and Mr. Stark is…

It doesn’t matter then, because the Ant-Man suddenly becomes gigantic and you have to fight more.

*

Later, at home, you nurse your black eye and sprained wrist and think about the heroes you’ve met.

Because they are heroes, all of them, even the ones you were fighting. They all had purpose and conviction and pride and you can’t help but think they’re all way out of your league.

After all, Tony Stark only showed up because he was short-staffed. Given the choice between fighting crime with you and fighting crime with Captain America, he’d definitely choose Captain America.

You know Natasha Romanov feels the same. You know Captain America would have never even considered taking you along.

It was shocking to find out how real they are. Mr. Stark with his nervousness and bluster and hurt eyes and shoulders hunched with sorrow. Natasha Romanov, with her beauty and her withering glare, eyes begging Mr. Stark not to hurt a child in this fight. Captain America, with his disappointed face and the slight smile when you said you were from Queens and admitted to just being Steve from Brooklyn.

And yet…

You turn on the light on your wrist, the icon Tony Stark made you as a thank-you gift. It shines up on the ceiling, showing you as the hero you could be. Maybe not the hero you are yet, but definitely the one you could become.


End file.
